In the quiet town of Kete Krachi, nestled in Ghana’s Oti Region, a young boy once carried a bucket of ice water, cups stacked neatly on top, walking from house to house in the sweltering sun. After school, while his classmates played or rested, he was already working, shining shoes and selling water, chasing a dream that even he couldn’t fully explain at the time. But what he knew, even at the age of twelve, was that he wanted more. More than the limits poverty had handed him. More than the life already mapped out for him as one of ten children in a family struggling to make ends meet.
That boy with a bucket in his hands and a fire in his heart was Seidu Issah Sawadogo. His journey is not merely one of survival—it is a testament to what happens when vision refuses to dim, when purpose outweighs poverty, and when one man decides that changing his own life is just the beginning of changing many more.
Humble Beginnings and a Burning Desire
Born in Kete Krachi and later relocated to Tamale in the Northern Region due to his father’s transfer with the Ghana Prisons Service, Seidu’s childhood was steeped in movement and hardship. But in the chaos of change, he found purpose early.
“My journey as an entrepreneur started in 1986, during my fourth year in primary school, at Bettel Methodist School. I was twelve years old,” he recalls. “I started selling ice water in a bucket with cups on top, and I also polished sewed sandals, what people call shoeshine, after I closed from school and on holidays.”
It wasn’t just about making money; it was about creating a better life. “My taste for good food, nice clothes, and helping to change the lives of others motivated me to embark on this journey at an early age,” he says.
But not everyone understood. “My parents couldn’t afford my lifestyle due to the large size of our family, ten children, and they didn’t appreciate my ambition as a young boy with big dreams.”
Even without their support, Seidu remained committed to his dream.
Education and Early Steps into Entrepreneurship
He pushed through school, never letting go of his passion. “I followed my dreams and pursued further education in AgriTech at Tamale Polytechnic,” he explains. That decision led to his first job with the Ghana Cotton Company in 2000. It wasn’t just a job, it was training ground.
“I gained a lot of working experience there, and at the same time, I started working on my dream as an entrepreneur. I co-founded a handicraft production company with a good friend, and we began exporting crafts, drums, and antiques to Europe and America.”
Eventually, the partnership ended, and Seidu struck out on his own. The journey was far from easy. Years passed with failed attempts, uncertain starts, and countless challenges.
“I finally registered my first company in 2015 after numerous failures and setbacks,” he says.
Building a Business, Impacting a Continent
That first company, SMB Sawadogo Multi Business, began with humble beginnings. “We started with two people, and later increased to 25. Most of them work on a casual or contract basis,” Seidu shares.
The company grew steadily, driven by Seidu’s commitment to quality and innovation. “Our success is the result of identifying gaps, especially in timely execution and project delivery, quality, and finding innovative ways of providing services.”
SMB expanded its reach beyond Ghana, exporting locally packaged foods to Europe and the U.S. to meet the growing demand from the African diaspora. For Seidu, this was more than a business, it was a mission of representation, pride, and legacy.
And building a company wasn’t enough. Seidu wanted to build people, too.
LETS LEAD AFRICA: A Calling Beyond Commerce
In a world where opportunity often favors the privileged, Seidu created LETS LEAD AFRICA, an NGO born out of a personal calling to empower youth and women across the continent.
“I created LETS LEAD AFRICA to fulfill my dream and calling to focus on the youth and women,” he says. “The aim is to empower young people and women in trade and tech, promote skill development, and create career pathways that encourage self-reliance, especially given the lack of government jobs. The goal is to reduce unemployment under the SDGs.”
This isn’t just talk. Through youth summits, conferences, and programs like Dream Builders, a collaboration with Arizona State University, as well as tech training with Gumption, a leading Ghanaian tech organization, Seidu is doing the work.
Challenges, Setbacks, and Relentless Resilience
The road to success has been paved with hurdles. Seidu doesn’t shy away from naming them. “The challenges are real—bureaucracy, delayed payments, high interest rates on loans, and lack of support for startups,” he says plainly.
These are the struggles of many African entrepreneurs. But while they’ve slowed others, they’ve never stopped him. Every delay met deeper determination. Every rejection only sharpened his focus.
For Seidu, the struggle is part of the story but so is the triumph.
“My advice to every young entrepreneur is to remain focused. Gather more information to stay in line with trends. Be disciplined and honest in your dealings, and the sky will be your limit.”
A Legacy Still in Motion
Today, Seidu Issah Sawadogo is more than just a businessman. He is a builder of futures. Through SMB Sawadogo Multi Business, he connects Africa to the world. Through LETS LEAD AFRICA, he raises the next generation of leaders, visionaries, and changemakers.
But his greatest legacy may not lie in what he’s built—it lies in what he’s become. A man who once sold ice water to buy food is now feeding dreams. A shoeshine boy with vision has become a torchbearer for youth, for women, and for Africa.
His story is not just a story, it’s a lesson. A blueprint. A firestarter.
Because when Seidu says, “I started in class four,” what he really means is, “I started when no one believed in me. But I believed in myself.”
And now, the world is catching up.
